Attachments
A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the disaster
During the monsoon season from June to September 2017, the intensity of rains leading to floods impacted millions of people across the northern part of India. The states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were the worst affected.
Although floods are common in the northern part of the country, heavy rainfall and floods in Nepal worsened the situation resulting in flooding across the three states. According to media reports, 13 million people were affected in Bihar alone, with deaths mounting to approximately 500. Unofficial reports indicated many more deaths.
Although the damages in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were comparatively less, floods affected these states too, disrupting normal life and causing heavy damages to infrastructure and livelihoods. People living along the low-lying areas were the worst affected, whose houses were either fully destroyed or damaged. Flood waters washed away household items leaving thousands of people in need of immediate relief support. It is important to note that the geographical area affected by the floods in 2017 was more than the area affected by the Kosi river floods a few years back, which displaced thousands of people overnight in 21 districts across Bihar.
Summary of response
Overview of Host National Society
The IRCS state branches in Bihar, deployed SERV, provided first aid, distributed food, supported government authorities in relief coordination and National Disaster Response Force in search and rescue.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) supported IRCS through the Disaster Relief Emergency fund (DREF) response mechanism to provide relief to 5,000 flood affected families with immediate relief assistance and water, sanitation and hygiene support.
The DREF support was utilized in flood affected areas in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, with the DREF allocation covering the provision of relief items to 3,000 families in Bihar, 1,000 families in Uttar Pradesh and another 1,000 families in West Bengal.